Abstract
English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing population in the US schools (National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2011); these students are consistently outperformed by their White counterparts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress data (NCES, 2011). While traditional English as a second language (ESL) classes emphasize building students’ knowledge of spoken and written aspects of the English language, focusing on vocabulary and grammar instruction, we propose that ESL instruction might also include a focus on more nuanced elements of the language such as dialect and register and the relation between power and language, which is critical literacy. This article defines critical literacy in working with ELLs, explores the potential benefit of understanding language/power relationships, and provides one unit plan that will enable teachers to facilitate this development of knowledge.
References
Alford, J. (2001). Learning language and critical literacy: Adolescent ESL students. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 45(3), 238–242.Search in Google Scholar
Behrman, E. (2006). Teaching about language, power, and text: A review of classroom practices that support critical literacy. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 49(6), 490–498.10.1598/JAAL.49.6.4Search in Google Scholar
Benesch, S. (2001). Critical English for academic purposes: Theory, policy and practice. Mahwah: Lawrence Earlbaum.10.4324/9781410601803Search in Google Scholar
Blackledge, A. (2000). Literacy, power and social justice. Staffordshire, England: Trentham Books.Search in Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Cambridge: Polity Press.Search in Google Scholar
Cervetti, G., Pardales, M., & Damico, J. (2001). A tale of differences: Comparing the traditions, perspectives, and educational goals of critical reading and critical literacy. Reading Online. 4(9). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/cervetti/Search in Google Scholar
Comber, B. (2001). Classroom explorations in critical literacy. In H. Fehring & P. Green (Eds.), Critical literacy: A collection of articles from the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association (pp. 90–102). Newark: International Reading Association.Search in Google Scholar
Cummins, J. (2003). BICS and CALP: Origins and rationale for the distinction. In C. B. Paulston & G. R. Tucker (Eds.), Sociolinguistics: The essential readings (pp. 322–328). London: Blackwell.Search in Google Scholar
Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York, NY: New Press.10.2307/358724Search in Google Scholar
Dunbar, P. (1903). When Malindy sings. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead, and Co.Search in Google Scholar
Dunbar, P. (1913). We wear the mask: The complete poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead, and Co.Search in Google Scholar
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehensible to English language learners: The SIOP model (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Search in Google Scholar
Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power. New York, NY: Pearson ESL.Search in Google Scholar
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum.Search in Google Scholar
Gaines, E. (1993). A lesson before dying. New York, NY: Vintage.Search in Google Scholar
Gee, J. P. (2005). An introduction to discourse analysis: theory and method. London and New York, NY: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Giroux, H. (2001). Culture, power and transformation in the work of Paulo Freire. In F. Schultz (Ed.), SOURCES: Notable selections in education (3rd ed.) (pp. 77–86). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Search in Google Scholar
Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York, NY: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Krashen, S., & Terrell, T. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Hayward, CA: Alemany Press.Search in Google Scholar
Lankshear, C., & Lawler, M. (1987) Literacy, Schooling, and Revolution. New York: Falmer Press.Search in Google Scholar
Lankshear, C., & McLaren, P. (Eds.). (1993). Critical literacy: Politics, praxis, and the postmodern. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.Search in Google Scholar
Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an accent: Language, ideology and discrimination in the United States. New York, NY: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Lohrey, A. (1998). Critical literacy: A professional development resource. Melbourne: Language Australia; the National Language Institute of Australia.Search in Google Scholar
Luke, A. (1997). Critical approaches to literacy. In V. Edwards & D. Corson (Eds.), Literacy (Vol. 2, pp. 143–151). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic.10.1007/978-94-011-4540-4_16Search in Google Scholar
Luke, A. (2000). Critical literacy in Australia: A matter of context and standpoint. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 43(5), 448–461.Search in Google Scholar
Luke, A. (2004). At last: The trouble with English. Research in the Teaching of English, 39, 85–95.10.58680/rte20044463Search in Google Scholar
McLaren, P. (2003). Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of education. Boston, MA: Pearson.Search in Google Scholar
Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (2001). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory into Practice, 21(2), 132–141.10.1080/00405849209543534Search in Google Scholar
Morrell, E. (2008). Critical literacy and urban youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum.Search in Google Scholar
National Center for Educational Statistics. (2011). National Assessment of Educational Progress. The nation’s report card: Reading 2011. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main2011/2012457.aspSearch in Google Scholar
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). (2010). Headcount and home languages. Retrieved from http://esllearnnc.sharpschool.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=4502459&pageId=7605316Search in Google Scholar
Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2004). Critical pedagogy and language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139524834Search in Google Scholar
Shor, I. (1992). Empowering education: Critical teaching for social change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.10.7208/chicago/9780226147864.001.0001Search in Google Scholar
Shor, I. (1999). What is critical literacy? In Darder, A., Baltodano, M., & Torres, R.D. (Eds) (2003). The Critical Pedagogy Reader (pp. 282–304). London: Routledge Falmer.Search in Google Scholar
Simpson, A. (1996). Critical questions: Whose questions? The Reading Teacher [Online] 50(2), 118–127. Available at: Proquest Database, ISSN: 00340561.Search in Google Scholar
Street, B. (2003). What’s “new” in New Literacy Studies? Critical approaches to literacy in theory and practice. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 5(2), 77–91.10.52214/cice.v5i2.11369Search in Google Scholar
Wallace, C. (2003). Critical reading in language education. Houndsmills: Palgrave McMillan.10.1057/9780230514447Search in Google Scholar
Wolfram, W. (2003). Language variation in the American south: An introduction. American Speech, 78(2), 123–129.10.1215/00031283-78-2-123Search in Google Scholar
Wolfram, W., & Schilling-Estes, N. (2006). American English Dialects and variation. Madden, MA: Blackwell.Search in Google Scholar
© 2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin / Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Executive Editors' Comment
- The New Normal: Catfishing in Urban Teacher Preparation Programs
- A Conceptual Framework for Non-Native Instructors Who Teach Adult Native American Students at the University
- Assisting Preservice Teachers Toward Becoming Culturally Responsive
- Perceived Cultural Responsiveness and Effectiveness of a Speech and Language Program for Indigenous Preschool Students
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities: Case Law Review
- Language Study: A Necessary Part of the Internationalized Curriculum
- Japanese Students’ Academic and Social Experiences at a Predominantly White University in the United States
- Understanding Dialect and Developing Critical Literacy with English Language Learners
- Las Siete Historias: Perceptions of Parent Involvement Among Mexican Immigrant Women
- Research Article
- Preparing Teachers for Urban Students Who Have Been Labeled as Having Special Needs
Articles in the same Issue
- Executive Editors' Comment
- The New Normal: Catfishing in Urban Teacher Preparation Programs
- A Conceptual Framework for Non-Native Instructors Who Teach Adult Native American Students at the University
- Assisting Preservice Teachers Toward Becoming Culturally Responsive
- Perceived Cultural Responsiveness and Effectiveness of a Speech and Language Program for Indigenous Preschool Students
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities: Case Law Review
- Language Study: A Necessary Part of the Internationalized Curriculum
- Japanese Students’ Academic and Social Experiences at a Predominantly White University in the United States
- Understanding Dialect and Developing Critical Literacy with English Language Learners
- Las Siete Historias: Perceptions of Parent Involvement Among Mexican Immigrant Women
- Research Article
- Preparing Teachers for Urban Students Who Have Been Labeled as Having Special Needs